August 21, 2025
SEOUL – A firefighter who responded to the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022 was found dead in a suspected suicide on Wednesday, after having been missing for 10 days.
His body was discovered beneath a bridge near an expressway in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, around 12:20 p.m., according to Siheung Police Station. No signs of foul play were found.
The firefighter, identified as a man in his 30s, had been diagnosed with depression in December 2022, following the Itaewon disaster, which claimed 159 lives. He received therapy and treatment provided by the National Fire Agency and the Incheon Fire Department in the following years.
He also recently suffered losses from cryptocurrency investments, according to local reports.
The authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of death and decide whether to conduct an autopsy in consultation with the bereaved family.
Before he disappeared, the firefighter left a note on his phone: “I’m sorry for not being able to hold my head high before my family and friends.”
He left home on Aug. 9 and was last seen the next morning, around 2 a.m., driving through the South Incheon Tollgate. His car was later found abandoned on the shoulder near the tollgate, with his phone, wallet and other belongings inside. The last signal from his phone was traced to Seochang-dong, Incheon.
After receiving the missing person report for the firefighter, police and fire authorities conducted searches around the area where his vehicle was found in Incheon, for the past 11 days. A total of 330 personnel were mobilized, along with search dogs and drones.
The 2022 Itaewon crowd crush was South Korea’s worst such disaster, killing 159 people who were celebrating Halloween in the nightlife district in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.